But there are some things that are needed to be in place to make the industry grow and prosper in order to contribute to the regions development.

The introduction of direct flights from the nearby Solomon Islands into Aropa airport is one, and the re-introduction of insurance companies to come back into the region. Right now tourist’s assets like cars and boats cannot be insured on Bougainville but has to be done from outside.

In his newly released autobiography, Sir Julius has revealed details about his harsh words with then prime minister John Howard over the hiring of Sandline mercenaries, and how he blamed the Australian media for inflaming opinion in PNG.

"I attended a private lunch with prime minister John Howard at Kirribilli House in Sydney shortly after the engagement of Sandline was revealed," wrote Sir Julius in the book, Playing the Game: Life and Politics in PNG.

"His attitude was 'Just get rid of these people. They should not be there.' He did not give me any reason for it.

Agricultural consultant David Anderson has conducted an Australian-Aid funded “diagnosis” of Bougainville’s cocoa industry, together with the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Department of Primary Industries, which seeks to boost output and lift quality at every stage of production.

He’s been in Bougainville talking to hundreds of cocoa industry stakeholders - from farmers, to nurserymen, fermenters, buyers, exporters and ABG ministers.

Former Buka Police Station Commander Cletus Tsien speaking at a crusade in Buka town on Sunday night told the gathering that Bougainville needs to put safety first and not to be blinded by other less important stuff.

“As a former police commander I know facts about security here, guns we have here now are more than the guns we had during the crisis,” Tsien said.

“Our sources in the atolls of this region tell us they have sighted ships, up to three and four sightings per day what they do we don’t know, illegal fishing or drug trafficking?

Program to empower youth

A local Bougainvillean NGO, Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency, has focused its efforts to empower youths in Bougainville to be aware of the region’s current socio-political climate and to make informed decisions on its future.

The incident happened on Thursday morning where passengers from Torokina in South Bougainville, who were travelling to Arawa Town, were involved in yet another nasty accident while travelling through the section of the Panguna to Arawa main highway.

Eleven male, two females and two children, were rushed to the Arawa Health Centre where one died and two were gravely injured with fractured skulls.